


Pleasant Valley - The Transcription

by semillita



Category: The Sims (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Multi, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Pictures, Pleasantview, Storytelling, simfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28898331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/semillita/pseuds/semillita
Summary: Fifteen years have passed since Bella Goth returned to Pleasantview, but the matriarch of the town has yet to see nothing. While many families remained together, some others were completely torn apart. The mayor of the town had just re-inaugurated the village, calling it Pleasant Valley.
Relationships: Alexander Goth/Cecilia Goth, Bella Goth/Mortimer Goth, Cassandra Goth/Don Lothario, Darren Dreamer/Cassandra Goth, Dina Caliente/Original Character, Dirk Dreamer/Lilith Pleasant, Dustin Broke/Angela Pleasant
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	1. Bet on the wrong murder.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm Semi and this is the transcription of my storytelling, simfiction work Pleasant Valley. For the actual work, reach to my tumblr page sims-for-semi.tumblr.com/tagged/Pleasant-Valley/chrono  
> Shall I mention, couple of OCs, the experience is much more fun with images 😉

Thomas Schneider, mayor of Old Sunset Valley stared at the camera while standing on a podium.

“The Old Town of today is no longer as we knew it. I don't want to get into the quackery, but the natural displacement of the city has led many inhabitants to seek their place in peripheral neighborhoods. With the help of my Congresspeople, we will seek improvements for the re-inaugurated Pleasant Valley.”

#  Chapter 1: Bet on the wrong murder.

_ My mom would always say “The rich have their very funny ways of entertainment”, and I couldn’t stop thinking about that when I first entered the Goth Mansion. It is no mystery that Gunther and Cornelia Goth founded Pleasantview (now renamed Pleasant Valley), a small neighborhood a few hours away from Old Sunset Valley. Ever since then, the Goths have moved 3 (!) times, and they have remodeled their house other two. _

_ I am greeted by Lurch, a friendly Servo created by Mortimer Goth a few years ago. Rumors say that he left a part of him in the robot to avoid feeling guilty for abandoning his beloved Bella, after so long searching for her. But these were just plain rumors, and I soon learned that, if there is one thing the Goth family hates, that is gossip... _

Camille Schneider arrived early at 165 Sim Lane that Saturday morning. Her first recorded interview to no one less than Alexander Goth himself. Living in Sunset Valley and not being obsessed with the Goths was certainly tricky. But now retired to Pleasant Valley, it was tricky to contact them, and she had been lucky enough because of an opportunity at the University.

“I’m so glad I have the opportunity to interview Alexander Goth, who celebrates the 60th anniversary of the book  _ Murder in Pleasantview _ .” She started in her recorder once Lurch Goth offered her a sit and a drink. What a nice pile of tin.

After a tedious routine of questions, the interviewer was bold enough to drop the prompt of her scoop again.

“For a long time, fans believed that Alexander was a pseudonym for Gunther Goth to publish the book, but it seems supernatural that the events narrated there occurred exactly fifteen years ago, here in your neighborhood.”

“Yeah… that’s curious isn’t it.” Said Alexander with a quirky smile.

“But do you think that if people had read the book on time, Brandi Broke’s murder could have been prevented?”

“I thought so, but maybe… The question isn’t what time, the question is what word.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mister Alexander, Ms. Cecilia is waiting for you in the dining room.” Interrupted Lurch, retiring the cups.

“Thank you, Lurch. I think that's my call to go, miss Schneider. Lurch can you take her outside?”

Camille looked shocked as Lurch took her outside. So that was  _ all _ ? He wasn’t even going to talk about Bella Goth?

Alexander smiled indulgently when he saw his wife in the dining room. She looked as beautiful as ever.

“Hey babe, what’s up?”

“Did the reporter leave?”

“Yes, I think it was a bad idea to tell her to come. Why the long face?”

“Your mother, Alexander. I don’t think she wants me here.”

“What do you mean? You know she's a little shy ... you guys will get along better soon.” He answered, hoping Cecilia believed in it more than he did.

\---

At one of Sim State University’s dorms, Beau Broke saw his roommate, Camille, struggling in the living room.

“Hey Cami, how did you do?”

“I thought I was okay, but then he literally kicked me off his house.”

“Literally?”

“No, it's a way to say. This interview had to be one of the most important for my portfolio, and I think I screwed it up.”

“But why? I never thought Alexander Goth would be a hard nut to crack.”

“Well I asked him… about your mother.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you gotta know what happened, Beau!”

“I already know what happened Camille, my mom was murdered by Gordon King.”

“But the circumstances of her death ...!”

“Shrug it off Camille. I know you like playing the criminal reporter, but this is none of your business. Don’t you dare to ask about my mother again.”


	2. At home and dry.

“The papers are signed and the house is ready, Mr. Wolff” said Abigail Gurrie, one of the most respected architects of the valley.

“Abigail, thank you! It feels so good to be here in Pleasant Valley after all those years living in Old Sunset. You’re a gem” said the M.D.

“Great job, Martin. The house is impressive. And Dina looks so happy”. Rita was the happiest of them all. Finally, her dreams came true. A huge mansion in the most peaceful town of SimCity. And the smile of her beautiful Dina shined brighter than the aquamarine pool. All that was left to do was to get rid of Martin. She dropped the prompt later.

“113 Wright Way had been uninhabited for years, right? Maybe a party to reunite with your old neighbors?”

“Rita, that’s an excellent idea. Call Nina and send some invitations. Blonde bomb is back in town”

In a more modest part of Pleasant Valley, a family sat down for breakfast.

“Morning babies” said Nina Caliente to her two teen children. “Aunt Dina is back in town and she wants to throw a party, so I want you pretty and clean by 7 pm.”

“So is it like a big party? Can I bring people?”

“Who do you wanna bring Kathy, you don’t even have friends” answered her brother Jesse.

“You guys ready for school or what?” Old sports couch Daniel Pleasant entered the room.

“In a minute love. There’s a party today…”

And not far from there, a different kind of breakfast was taking place in the Dreamer’s house.

“Interesting paper, huh, Dad?”

“Give me a minute Diana, your dad is reading something.”

“The school bus will be here in a minute, love.”

“Got that, just tryna have a conversation with dad here.”

Although her father was older, Diana had a hard time trying to impress him when he seemed so self-absorbed. And her mother, Cassandra, would never have admitted it, but she felt the same way.

“Your dad doesn’t even feel like eating these days.”

“Okay, bye. I still love you, old man” said the girl, kissing his father in the forehead.

Not much later, Cassandra received a phone call from her best friend.

“Mary-Sue? Hi! Yes, I’ve been busy working and everything.”

“Tell me about it. With that clown Schneider as the mayor, seriously, what does he even know about Pleasantview?”

“Is that whole party thing his idea?”

“No, the party is being held by Dina Wolff, can you believe that?”

“Dina? No way!” Old flashbacks came into Cassandra’s mind. Her uncle Michael dying not shortly after marrying a much younger woman. The same woman strutting into her house to seduce her father when Bella Goth was long gone.

“Tell me about it, do you think I want to go see my ex husband and his new family in that house?” said Mary-Sue, distracting her. Of course, she had her own concerns.

“Do you need some back up there?”

“I think I would only bear that party if you and your family are there too. Thanks, dear, you’re a life savior” replied Mary-Sue.

\---

In Pleasant High School, Kathy was having a chat with her cousin, Sebastian.

“I’m just so excited for your party tonight!”

“Do you know by any chance if Diana is coming?”

“I guess Jesse will invite her, isn’t it obvious?”

“So are they, like,  _ official  _ now?” asked Sebastian with concern. At the same time, Diana was just entering the school gym.

“Hey, Troy Bolton.” she said with a flirty smile.

“Hey, D. Were you staring at me?”

“Do you mind that I like looking at you?”

“No, not at all. Listen, my aunt is having a party today…”

“Yeah, my mom told me about it. We’re all going.”

“Really? Should I be concerned?”

“I don’t know, should you?”

“Well your mom doesn’t like me, and I haven’t met your father yet.”

“Are you scared, Casanova?”

“You know I’d do anything for you.” he replied, sounding exactly like his father would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember Thornton and Morgana Wolff? Martin is their son, feel old yet?


	3. Paint the town red.

At the Pleasants house, Angela entered Lilith’s room, while she was practicing with her guitar.

“Lili. Dad invited us to a party today, I hope you won’t let him down this time”. Lilith just laughed.

“Tell me again why should I care?”

“Don’t be so mean! Could you at least try?”

“Look, I’m over dad pretending to have this happy family, I don’t even like Jesse or Kathy or…”

“They’re our siblings!” That was the breaking point for Angela. She got it, Lilith hated Daniel, she would always hate him, but his wasn’t about him. It was about their little brother and sister.

“Yeah, and so was Beau, wasn’t he?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean that when you left Dustin…”

“Shut up! You’re talking nonsense”.

Lilith had had enough of Angela’s bullshit. I didn’t matter how many times they fight, they would always end up being angry at each other. She decided she was better off at Dustin and Dirk’s house. Their relationship had been quite good ever since they got out of college. She told them about the party right away.

“And my dad’s girlfriend’s sister is having a party at 113 Wright Way”.

“No way. The huge new house they built up there is hers?” Dustin always was absurdly impressed about how rich people could be.

“They also posted it on the news so it’s not a big secret” said Dirk.

“So you guys wanna go?”

“It could be cool if we go,” said Dustin. He was actually willing to see Angela, they hadn’t seen each other for a while.

“Don’t you love this? The three of us together as we always should’ve been”.

“Guys, we are not twenty anymore” Dirk was always amused at how childish Dustin and Lilith could be.

“Well, I’m doing good. I got a job and I send money to my bro”.

“And you are the one who doesn't want to propose to his girlfriend, Dirk” said Lilith. She knew it would hurt him. She herself couldn’t picture Dirk being a husband, but why did they have to act like such grown-ups? They had already had difficult teenage years anyways.

“So just because I earn money and live on my own should I marry my girlfriend?” asked Dirk.

“Yes” answered Dustin.

“If that’s what she wants, maybe” said Lilith.

On the other side of the valley, precisely on the more affluent, Evan Alto caught his younger sister Livia going through her old room.

“Livia, what are you doing in your old room?”

“Nothing… just reminiscing”.

“Sis, you need to get over Alexander,” said Evan. He knew how much her sister missed her high school sweetheart, but honestly how long could she be sad for it? Would had grandpa Nick approve this? Being sad for a  _ Goth _ ? No way. “C’mon, there’s a party at Dr. Wolff’s house. We’ll have fun”.

A few hours later, Kenzy Alto, Evan’s wife, was arguing with her younger brother, Cameron.

“Look Cameron, you’re never going to find a girl better than Angela Pleasant”.

“Why is everyone here so obsessed with settling down?” asked Cameron. Interestingly, his relationship with Angela had been the longest he had ever had, back in those crazy college years. It had been a few years since, was it time to finally get married and make a home just like Kenzy had?

“Hi! Are you all ready?” Livia showed up in a wonderful dress.

“ _ Bellisima _ ! I’m glad you’re wearing Grandma Vita’s necklace” said Evan.

“Thanks, brother”.

“Hi Livia, you already know my brother, Cameron”.

“Yes, hi. Shall we go?” It was finally time for Pleasant Valley to have an event of colossal magnitudes.

In Sim State University, however, two young students were having fun in a small attic. Beau Broke had just hung up.

“Was that your brother on the phone?” asked Lucy.

“Yes, he said something about a party in Pleasant Valley…”

“Oh, I heard about it. My parents are going too”.

“But I don’t want to go. I’m happy here with you”.

“I’m going as well, silly”.

“You’re gonna let me embarrass you in front of them?”

“Bold of you to assume we’re going as a couple”.

“Still afraid to assume that you’re into a freshman?”

“Shut up and kiss me”.


	4. Dead man on the pool.

In 113 Wright Way, things were getting ready for the party. Dina was having a hard time grooming herself.

“You need to relax, Dina. Everything will be alright” said Rita to pacify her.

“I can’t deal with the pressure, all of them will be here” said the blonde woman. Rita held her shoulders in a sweet massage.

“There, there. Feeling any better?”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Rita”.

“Well, that’s something we have in common, baby” the brunette responded.

“I just wish it could be easier for us…”

“Hey girls! Am I interrupting?” said Nina opening the dressing room’s door.

“No, miss Nina, I was… just leaving” replied Rita quickly, sneaking out where Nina had come in.

“You need to be more careful about her, Dina” said the ginger sister. She could still remember the first day she had seen Dina and Rita together, making her go into labor with Jesse. There was just something strange about Rita, but if her sister was happy, then she couldn’t do a thing about it.

“I know, I’m just… stressed. What happened?”

“Bella Goth replied to the invite and she is coming to the party” answered Nina with a deep sigh.

“WHAT? Who invited that old witch?” screamed Dina in despair. Last time she had seen Bella Goth, Mortimer was still alive, and both had made it clear to her that she was a nobody. However, at the same time Dina’s husband entered the room.

“I did” he said. “I invited her”.

“But Martin, how?”

“Bella Goth is my patient and a good friend. I wasn't going to leave her out of this” he replied kindly. Dina said no more. She wasn't going to contradict her husband, mostly because she couldn't. Martin didn't have to find out that Dina had been involved with back-then then richest man in Pleasantview. Both sisters came out of the room, so that they could finish the last details for the party.

“So, are we ever talking about how your girlfriend looks exactly like Bella Goth?”

“What do you mean? She does not”.

\---

The party had begun. Most of Pleasant Valley villagers were there, also including some people from the Sunset Valley district. The current mayor, Thomas Schneider was there with his wife and oldest daughter, Camille. However, Camille’s friend Beau had his eyes stuck in Jennifer Burb’s daughter, Lucy.

A mysterious man also entered 113 Wright Way at the same Martin received Bella Goth.

“Bella, I haven't had a chance to introduce you to my wife, Dina,” he said. Dina swallowed.

“Oh, really?” said Bella. The two women's eyes met and for a second, Dina thought she saw a strange glint in their gaze. Bella Goth was no longer what she once was. Her figure looked older, more modest, and by the way, more serious.

“Hello Bella” she said, faking niceties.

“I’d say long time no see” replied the old woman.

“Okay! Maybe I could get you all some drinks?” interrupted Rita, noticing Dina’s nervousness.

“Yes, I think Dina might want one. She looks so pale” answered Bella with a smirk.

At the same time, Cameron Greenshields got closer to his once ex-girlfriend, Angela Pleasant. She looked as pretty as ever, just like the last time he had seen her in their college graduation.

“Hi Angela. How are you?” he said.

“What do you want, Cameron?” replied the girl with fire in his eyes. She hoped Lilith wasn’t around sneaking. Or Dustin.

“It’s been a while since Junior year, don’t you think? I just wanna make it up to you” said Cameron. His sister Kenzy was right. Maybe he needed a good girl around. A woman to be his wife.

“How?” said Angela. “After you humiliated me with a cheerleader?”

“We’re getting older, Angie. And I can’t picture myself with anyone else but you. Do you want to get out of here and go get something to eat?”

Near them, Dina and Rita escaped from Bella Goth's vision. It was there that Dina saw someone she hardly recognized, the son of her friend Brandi, Beau.

“Beau, I can't believe you're here!” she said with a big smile. God, how she missed that girl. It seemed like yesterday when Brandi was teaching Beau to walk and now, he was quite a man in college. “Brandi would have loved for you to come visit us more often. The Altos are sending you good money, right?” she asked, unaware of Beau’s discomfort.

On the second floor, Dina’s son Sebastian was hanging with his cousins and Diana Dreamer. Seb waited for Jesse and Kathy to be gone so he could spend some time alone with Diana.

“Your room is really cool, Seb” said Diana, amazed with the great electronics games and huge TV set Seb had. Money couldn’t impress her much, though, she had quite her own. “But why did you bring me here?”

“Well, there's something I wanted to tell you for a long time” said Sebastian, holding his breath. “I like you, Diana. I think we should go out together” he said.

“But Seb, I ... You know I like Jesse, right?” she replied. Seb could hear his heart breaking.

“But Jesse is an idiot. You can have someone better” he quickly said. No. Not Jesse being better than him again. Why?

“Don't call him that. You know he's had it harder than us. You are so insensitive” said Diana, just before storming out of his room.

Diana followed Jesse’s trail. She still hadn’t introduced him to his parents. But there was some kind of commotion outside the house, near the pool. What she didn’t know was that Don Lothario had just seen his son walking towards Nina Caliente. He quickly stepped to his direction, without noticing the huge fount of water under him

“That’s him. Jesse!” he screamed before falling down to the pool.

“Haha, who was that clown?” said Daniel, watching the spectacle along with the others.

“No fucking way” said Nina, trembling.


	5. Riddle Riddle.

“Hey, are you okay? You looked so lost when you fell. I’m Livia Alto, by the way. And you are?”

Don felt dizzy, the kind of dizziness he hadn't felt in years. With the help of Livia he was able to dry himself enough to try again to get close to his son, but Nina stopped him on the way.

“What are you doing here Don?

“Look Nina, I just want to talk to him” said Don with an unusual patience.

“It’s been fifteen years, Don” started Nina. Don was about to argue, but Jesse came first. He stared at Don. The resemblance was uncanny.

“Hi… Don? I’m Jesse”.

“Hi, son” said Don with a smile.

“He’s not your son Don. I’m the one who raised him” said Daniel, wrathful. With all the big fuss, the party had stopped, a few curious people crowded were looking around.

“I can’t believe he’s actually here” said Cassandra.

“Jesse’s dad is your ex?” asked Diana.

“God, he’s so dreamy” whispered Livia, ignoring the fuss.

Martin and Dina got closer to them: “Okay, everybody, calm down. Don, might I talk to you for a minute?” said Martin with his dutiful smile.

“We're going home. All of us” said Daniel. But his son had other plans.

“I'll say goodbye to Diana first”. Back in the inside of the house, Cassandra and Darren had had enough of the party. Plus, everyone else was leaving too.

“Dad, I've wanted to introduce you to Jesse for a long time,” said Diana, once Jesse had reached her.

“Enough already, Diana. This is Don Lothario's son” accused Cassandra. Come to think about it, how hadn’t she noticed before? Jesse had Don’s eyes, and his charming smile. In no ways she would allow her dear daughter near him.

“Is he?” asked Darren.

“Mom! He literally just met him!”

“I don't want you to be involved with anyone who has to do with Don Lothario, Diana” barked Darren.

“You really are judging me for my biological father?” Jesse blew up. He was still confused about Don. “I thought you were smarter Mr. and Mrs. Dreamer. But don't worry. Because I don't want to deal with people insulting my family either” he barked before running away to his parents again.

\---

“It’s clear that your mental state is not the best one. Why don't you pay a visit to my psychiatry office?” Martin had already seated Don in front of him and was using his best psychiatric skills with him.

“Is it so evident that I'm not okay?” asked Don smiling.

“I'm a psychiatrist. I can tell when I see patients using drugs” said Martin with an indulgent smile. Don looked as handsome as ever, Dina though, and she wondered how Martin had noticed that in him.

“You knew he'd be here?” Rita brought her out of her reverie.

“He needed to meet his son” answered Dina. “I just hope Nina won't hate me for it”.

In the front yard, while people were leaving the party, Dustin reached Camille, Beau’s roommate in the university dorm.

“Hey Camille! Do you know where Beau went?”

“He left quite early. I'm kinda worried, can you go find him?” said Camille. At the same time, Cameron Greenshields had taken Angela out for some late-night dinner. And Beau was far from 113 Wright Way.

Dustin called Dirk before heading to where he was.

“You go looking for Beau? Okay, let me know”. Dirk had walked some streets with Lilith after his girlfriend took a taxi back to Old Sunset Valley. “Dustin went looking for his brother. You wanna spend the night?” he asked the redhead.

“I’ll take every opportunity to be outside my house” replied Lilith with a big smile.

\---

In Pleasant Rest Graveyard, a fairly drunk Beau Broke was sitting next to his family’s vault.

“Why is she dead? Why?” Beau mumbled with tears streaming down his face. Life was just so unfair. Pictures of his father and mother were screaming color from a past he could barely remember. All he knew about his father was what his mother told him. All he remembered about his mother were her last moments on Earth. And it was so hard…

“Beau, get up. I knew you’d be here” his brother’s voice found him in the dark.

“It’s not fair!” cried Beau. “Why does she have to be dead, I miss her!” he couldn’t stop the tears, turning his head down. Dustin tried to embrace him.

“I know, I miss her too” he whispered, trying not to cry himself. “But there’s nothing we can do about it, Beau”.

“She should be here, with our baby brother, going to parties, she was so young”.

“Come here. You need to rest” said Dustin, grabbing him from the shoulders.

“Maybe all is not lost, you know” Beau breathed with difficulty.

“Beau, our mother is dead…”

“I know we can take her back” he said, looking into his brother’s eyes.

“How?” asked Dustin, concerned.

“Alexander Goth”.

\---

A few hours later, in Dustin and Dirk’s apartment, Lilith had already put on pajamas to rest.

“Beau is okay, he is with Dustin now” said Dirk, who had lent her his room.

“Glad to hear. Your new bed is very comfy” said she with a charming smile.

“I see you made yourself comfortable. Yeah, it was a gift from dad after uni” replied Dirk, corresponding to her smile. The woman he had known all long for more than fifteen years, who had shattered his heart but that could still make him laugh like two old best friends. That was Lilith to him.

“Dirk, can I ask you something?” said Lilith, now more serious. “Real talk”.

“Go ahead”.

“Why haven’t you proposed to your girlfriend?” she asked, remembering the dark-haired girl with light blue eyes she had met at Dina’s party. “Do you really prefer living here with Dustin?”

Dirk hesitated: “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Yeah-”

“Because I love you, Lilith” he replied really quickly. “I always will”.

“You will?” asked the red haired after a moment of silence. That wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, but why was she expecting it?

“Yes. That’s the problem” said Dirk. He turned around and left the room with a heavy heart.


	6. Fehler in der Matrix.

In the Caliente-Pleasant Household, things were not right. Jesse hadn’t come out of his room and Nina and Daniel were having a big fight.

“What do you mean he needs to be closer?” he yelled.

“He is his father, Daniel!” answered Nina in a yowl. Why did everything seem so obvious now? Why was Don back causing trouble in her life again? Could she ever escape him?

“No, I am his father. Me! I raised him, I gave him a roof…”

“What do you want me to do? To tell him to go away?” asked Nina crying. They both seemed to ignore that their daughter Kathy was just sitting with them in the living room.

“How can you even disagree with me?” asked Daniel, infuriated. For fifteen years he had been there for Jesse, why did this Don Lothario clown have to appear to ruin everything?

“I think dad's got a point,” said Kathy suddenly. Her parents looked at her.

“Go to your room Katrina. You shouldn't be here” Nina scolded her.

“Why not? I’m part of this family as well” said the girl.  _ Katrina _ , she thought. How she hated that name.

“Kathy, go” said Daniel. His daughters were all cut from the same cloth. Kathy stood up quickly and ran away from the living room, but instead of going to her room she stormed out of the house.

“Why does everyone treat me like I’m a nuisance?” she asked herself. She crossed the street distressed. Her house wasn’t the place she wanted to be in right now, so she decided to visit her aunt Jennifer. Luckily, she was outside playing with Teddy.

“Come on, Teddy!” she yelled. “Make an effort”.

“I’m trying, mom” said her little cousin. Teddy was about eleven years old, and Kathy thought he was the best-behaved Pleasant around. Unfortunately, her aunt Jennifer differed.

“Do you think the coach is going to notice you if you keep your attitude like this?”

“Hi Lucy” said Kathy, sitting next to her older cousin on the porch.

“Hi. Mom is doing her awful mother routine” said Lucy, excusing the scene. “How are things around your house?”

“Awful as well” replied the red haired. “Jesse hasn't left his room”.

“Why does mom project her frustrated dreams on Teddy?” Lucy asked, more to herself than to Kathy. For as long as she could remember, her mother had always struck her as too distant a figure. Always busy at work, always wearing fancy dresses. Now Teddy was getting all the attention she dreamed of, when she was a child. But at what cost?

“At least she pays attention to him” said Kathy. She also dreamed of the day where Daniel and Nina would center their attention on her.

“Wait, I have a call” said Lucy when her phone vibrated. It was Beau, who had kept her awake all night.

Far away from there, Don Lothario was receiving treatment at Doctor Wolff’s psychiatric office.

“How am I feeling, Doc? I’m a doctor as well, you know? I stopped working for a few years though” he said after Martin had asked him a few routine questions.

“Why did you stop?” asked the psychiatrist.

“I can’t remember quite well to be honest. I have many mental holes, as I told you” answered Don.

“That’s strange. Do you happen to know Bella Goth?”

“… No” mumble Don in short.

“She had the same symptoms as you,” commented Martin, after taking some notes. Don gulped. “Our children are family, so I really care about you, Don. Do you have someone you can trust in case of more memory loss?”

“Not really, but I rented an apartment so I could be near my son” he said.

“That will work for now. Go home and get some rest, last night was very difficult for everyone” Doctor Wolff recommended.

\---

But things weren’t as easy for everyone, as Diana and her mother were having a silent feud. Cassandra entered her daughter’s room.

“Oh, hi mother. How long will I be unjustly grounded?”

“Until you no longer want to be near Jesse, that’s when” she answered. Diana dropped her violin gently on the stand.

“What is your problem? Don Lothario just came into his life!” God her mother gave her headaches.

“That is...” started Cassandra. But then she felt really powerless. Images came rapidly to her mind. “But how? Why is he back? He shouldn't be back!”

“What are you even talking about?” cried Diana.

“I need to talk to Alexander” said Cassandra, and left the room instead. Diana clenched her fists. Cassandra, however, wasn’t the only one who wanted to visit Alexander.

“I’m really happy you came here. I gathered you all because you're my family, and I'm determined to find out the truth about my mother” said Beau, oddly more optimistic than he was last night. Dustin didn't completely agree, but he hadn't seen Beau so happy in a long time. He didn't have the heart to stop him.

Lucy wasn’t that much happy either.  _ What is she doing here? _ , she asked herself, staring at Camille.

“When I interviewed Alexander Goth” started Camille, as if she had read her mind, “he told me about this book called  _ Murder in Pleasantview _ , that he wrote. We could go ask him if he knows anything else about the circumstances of Brandi’s death”.

“If that’s the plan, I’ll be happy to help you” answered Lucy, looking at her Beau.

“I guess Alexander Goth can’t kick us all out” said Dustin.

There was an unusual breeze that night. Three Pleasantview villagers and a girl from Old Sunset Valley showed up at 125 Sim Lane. Bright stars twinkled in the dark blue sky as Beau Broke rang the house bell softly but decisively.


	7. The truth (about Bella Goth).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is the first no pics just text chapter, I hope you enjoy it! And don't panic if you don't understand much— no one does either (yet)...

For Camille’s surprise, it was not Lurch, but Alexander the one who attended the door.

“Hello…?” he wondered at the unexpected guests.

“Hello Alexander. We want to learn about  _ Murder in Pleasantview _ ” said Beau. Alexander sighed and after a second of hesitation, he let the visitors in. Dustin was still amazed at the pomposity of the mansion, and Lucy and Camille were having a silent fight of who should be right next to Beau.

Alexander took them upstairs, to the third floor of the Goth mansion. There, a strange shelving that worked as a secret door led them to a cold chamber, in which many candles were lighting the room. Lucy was the first to break the silence of the peculiar march.

“Were you expecting us?” she asked, concerned about the candles.

“No, not really. But I’ve been thinking about you and the interview” he said, pointing Camille out.

“Okay. So, I’m Beau, this is my brother Dustin, and these are my friends, Lucy and Camille…” said Beau, annoying the brunette girl.

“I know who you are. You want to know about how Brandi Broke died” said Alexander. Both Dustin and Beau flinched at the selection of his words, and Lucy held Beau’s hand in order for him to stay calm.

“You… you never answered my question about how the time, or the world affected the way the murder could have been prevented” said Camille.

“I know. I didn’t answer you because that interview was going to be published and most people were going to read it, and most people weren’t going to understand the answers. And I can’t do that to our reputation, I have a house name to represent, you know.”

By the time Alexander finished, someone else appeared through the shelving door. It was his sister, Cassandra, who looked off-mood, but was not surprised by the visitors.

“What are you doing here, who let you in?” his brother asked.

“Lurch, of course. I was talking with him and Bella” she replied, staring at the others with somber.

“That explains why he didn't answer the door then.”

“Uh, excuse me, but we’re here to talk about Brandi” Dustin interrupted. Everyone looked at him. Alexander uttered a deep sigh.

“Let me tell you all the story from the beginning. I knew there was a book called  _ Murder in Pleasantview _ when your mother died. But it was really hard to find. Apparently, someone (I’m guessing, my father) bought all the copies, and most of them were burnt in the first fire our house had, before I was born. A few years after that, my mother, Bella, got abducted by aliens.”

“Wait, so aliens really do exist?” asked Beau, incredulous.

“Of course they exist,” answered Alexander. Cassandra rolled her eyes. “People in Strangetown have been contacting them for ages. But that’s not the point. Mother disappeared for more than a year, and then she was back, but she claimed that her memory was erased. When I found a copy of the book, after she came back, I realized that I had written the book myself.”

“Wait, how did you…?”

“You wrote…?” asked both Lucy and Camille at the same time.

“Cassandra, do you remember uncle Michael?” Alexander interrupted.

“Yes. He was older than Bella” his sister replied.

“He was, but how did he just finish college when you were eight years old? You never thought that was odd?”

A thought seemed to cross Cassandra’s mind. Everyone else in the room was confused.

“Dad had already created the Elixir, they used it on themselves, and it failed. That’s why they seemed older than they really were” answered Alexander.

“Wait, the Elixir? The Elixir of life, does it exist?” inquired Camille.

“How is this related to your investigation?” said Cassandra, ignoring Camille’s confusion.

“Dad was just a test subject. He helped in the creation of the Elixir, but that was it. And then, they had you and me, blah blah happily ever after. Until it wasn’t. Dina Caliente married uncle Michael, in Old Town. When he passed away, she came back to Pleasantview. Except mom wasn’t here anymore. Cass, I know you don’t want to hear this but—”

“Mom was having an affair with Don Lothario. I know.”

“I’m not sure if they were really having an affair, but she and dad were having a hard time. She was with Lothario that night. And aliens abducted her. Why? I fail to have an answer.”

“I might know why,” said Lucy. “I studied ufology at the university. Aliens always leave you in the exact same spot they picked you up. Ultimately, these unidentified objects stopped showing around the summer of 2004. Apparently, they no longer had intentions of investigating us.”

“So, they picked Bella because she didn’t age,” concluded Cassandra thoughtfully.

“Right, right. That makes sense” said Alexander.

“Excuse me, but how is this related at all with the death of my mother?” urged Dustin.

“Because… I made a mistake” admitted Alexander. “You see, I was desperate to get my mother back. Dad was having a hard time and he almost married Dina Caliente out of nothing, when she had already married uncle Michael. And, I used one of my father’s scrapped projects, the time machine. But I was barely fourteen years old.

“And that didn’t work, because I created an alternate reality by trying to fix this one. Time is not linear, it’s a dimension that is constantly expanding or reducing according to our actions. I ended up in a parallel timeline…

“But then mom came back. I stopped trying. There’s only one timeline in this dimension. Let’s say it all started when Mortimer and Bella were ten years old and they lived in (now old) Sunset Valley. Then, they grew up, found their place in Old Town, had Cassandra and then me. Mom got abducted. And when I travelled in time, I found her, I tried to warn her about this, and I wrote a book called  _ Murder in Pleasantview _ , that explained everything I’ve told you. I already knew mom would come back. I wanted to warn my future self so I would stop looking for her. I thought that if I warned myself, I wouldn’t have to work in the time machine at all.”

All the guests were confused. Dustin talked first.

“Are you implying that because you messed up the timeline, my mother was murdered?”

“I am. And I’m really sorry that no one ever read the damn book” said Alexander.

“This doesn’t make any sense. How are the two things related?” asked Lucy.

“There’s no trail of Brandi Broke in any of the other timelines.”

“What…?” uttered Beau.

“Look, my mother, Bella, existed throughout this whole timeline. She’s even alive now (and I’m pretty sure she is immortal with all that Elixir she drank). But your mother, Brandi? She only existed here, in Pleasantview.

“Are you saying she was meant to be dead?”

“I’m really sorry to be telling you all about this. But the time machine, it won’t fix anything. I can’t bring your back, that would mess up the timeline again. And I tried so hard to get Bella back, but that wasn’t even in my hands, she came back by herself”.

“But why did she come back? How? Where was she?” queried Beau.

“She was here all the time” answered Cassandra in the deep shadows of the room.

“What?” the guests asked.

“Bella came back the day of my wedding with Don. Don left me because he thought Bella would blame him for her disappearance. But she didn’t remember anything, or so she claims.”

“Are you saying that she was here all the time?”

“There are plenty of rabbit holes in Sunset Valley. Most probably she was in Strangetown for a while where the aliens studied her, but then she came back here. I guess she just wanted to run away. Not like she still had a son and a daughter back here, waiting… for her” her voice broke off.

“Then why don’t you ask her about it? Isn’t she alive?” asked Camille, impatient.

“I think we should stop here,” said Dustin, defeated. “Clearly we can’t get our mother back from the dead. I’m sorry, Beau. Lucy, Camille, let’s find our way out”.

Different voices surrounded the chamber. Lucy and Camille tried to reanimate Beau who looked deeply disappointed, and Dustin led the retinue with a heavy head.

“Why are you here, Cassandra? And tell me the truth” said Alexander, once everyone left.

“Don Lothario. How did he come back from fifty-years-ago Riverview, can you answer that?”

“Certainly not” replied Alexander.

“I thought Bella would. But of course not. She doesn’t remember anything at all” Cassandra murmured wearily. “Anyways, I shall go now. My daughter is head over heels about Don’s exact copy”.

Alexander was left alone in the dark room. He stood up and walked around the house a little. Why couldn’t Bella remember? He went to bed with his wife, Cecilia. She looked at him, still awake. She clearly had been listening.

“You lied to them.”

“What else could I’ve done? They wanted the time machine to bring their mother back here.”

“You didn’t tell them about how timelines are parallel, but they can be tangent. You took me out of Beacon Bay and brought me here with you”.

“Because this is my right timeline. And you are my right person.”

“You truly are the sweetest ever, aren't you?” asked Cecilia, happily falling asleep. Alexander didn’t answer.


	8. Change of direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter in Tumblr starts here: sims-for-semi.tumblr.com/post/641468921668567040/nina-i-never-told-you-that-because-i-have-been

“Jesse, it's time for you to leave your room…” said Nina knocking on her son’s door. Jesse didn’t answer. Nina sighed deeply before talking again.

“I know you’re hurt because I never told you that Don was your biological dad. And now you have two dads. My dad had two dads too” she said.

“I never told you that because… I have been selfish all my life, you know? When I knew I was pregnant with you, I thought that the best solution was to keep Don away from you. Because I didn’t want any more trouble with him. And I had been dating Daniel, who was kind, and loyal enough to adopt you as his own child. And Don disappeared for as long as fifteen years. I don’t know why. But you’re older now, and I understand that this is difficult for you. I won’t forbid you meeting him, if that’s your wish, son. I love you and your sister more than anything else in the world. That’s why it’s up to you to make this decision. I’ll respect it, whichever it is.”

Nina stopped before shedding a tear. But before walking away from the door, it opened, and Jesse looked at her with a smile.

Meanwhile, at Pleasant High School, Sebastian was looking for Diana. He finally found her at the school library.

“Hi, Diana” he muttered, sitting in front of her. “Listen, I’m sorry for what happened...”

“That’s alright, Seb. It doesn't matter right now” she politely replied, looking distracted. He noticed how her homework wasn’t done at all.

“Have you talked to Jesse?” he asked.

“No. He hasn’t answered my texts. Not even a  _ seen _ ” the girl complained with disappointment.

“I heard from mom that he’s having a hard time. Don’t worry though, he’ll be back soon” he said to cheer her up.

“Will he?” asked Diana with illusion in her eyes.

“Yeah! I'll keep you company for while he’s gone”.

“Thank you, Seb. That’s very nice of you” replied the girl.

\---

Later, Livia Alto was baking a wonderful cake with a purpose. She rang the bell in the Apartment Complex in which both the Broke-Dreamer Household and the Lothario family lived.

“Hello!” she said as soon as Don opened the door. “Glad to find you home. I'm Livia Alto, my family owns the apartment complex. I brought you some cake”.

“Oh, okay!” said Don, quite surprised “Come in, I guess. Your name was Livia...?”

“Livia Holly Alto. That’s right. We met at the Wolff’s house” she responded with a bit of disappointment when she saw that he did not reciprocate her big smile. After a little chatter, however, Don managed to make her smile again.

“So you saved me after I fell in the pool?” he asked laughing.

“I wouldn't call that  _ saving _ . I just got you out of there. You really don't remember?”

“Sometimes I suffer from memory loss,” Don explained. “Dr. Wolff is helping me with that. I need to stay healthy. For my son, you know?” he said.

“Yes, of course. I hope you two can get closer. I think you’ll be a great father to him, Don.” she said, melted by his great charisma.

Around the same time, in the Williams-Pleasant household. Mary-Sue was also preparing dinner, along with Angela and her husband, Elliot.

“Your sister won’t be joining us for supper, I guess” she said, hearing Lilith’s sounds on the piano.

“Probably not. Mom, would you mind if I invite Cameron one of these days?”

“Your cheating boyfriend from college? How proud I am” replied Mary-Sue sarcastically.

“Mom! He’s not like that anymore” Angela sounded annoyed.

“I said the same about your dad. About ten times” her mother reminded her. Elliot seemed uncomfortable, as he always did when Mary-Sue was fighting with her daughters.

“Why do you hate to see me happy?” yelled Angela.

“I want you to be self-reliant, Angela, I won't be here forever!”

“Why don't you say the same thing to Lilith, huh?”

“You are supposed to be more mature than her” exclaimed Mary-Sue, exasperated.

“According to whom? Your horrible parenting skills?” responded Angela. She suddenly disappeared to her room, and Mary-Sue was left alone with Elliot for dinner.

“Those girls will be the death of me” she said, tired.

“Why don't you let them be?” asked Elliot, innocently.

“I don't want them to make the same mistakes that I did”.

“You say that I was a mistake?”

“No, of course I'm not talking about you, love” she said, approaching him.

“Then why are you still thinking about Daniel?” asked Elliot.

Mary-Sue looked shocked: “That’s not what I-”

“Why do you project him on your daughters?” Elliot seemed as tired as her.

\---

One more night, Alexander was staring at the time machine. He felt so guilty, so powerless. The moment he put his hand in front of the door, he heard a sob behind.

“I'd like to remember too, you know? I wish I could, but I can't, and I can't grow old...” muttered Bella Goth behind him. She looked exhausted. “I promise you I've tried to, but I can't… I can't!”

“Mommy, why are you awake? Calm down … It's not your fault, it's mine” he said, concerned about seeing his mother so fragile.

“Why can't I grow old, dear? Why?”

“This problem is mine alone. I don't want anyone else to suffer because of me” said Alexander regretfully.

“But don't worry. I'll fix this for you, mom. I promise, I'll fix everything. You have my Goth word”.


	9. Road to Old Town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Chapter in Simblr starts here: https://sims-for-semi.tumblr.com/post/642118264025153536/chapter-9-road-to-old-town-beginning-prev

The next day, Alexander met with Lucy to tell her his plan.

“Thanks for meeting me here, Lucy. I couldn't contact Beau.”

“No problem. Beau is… coping, I guess. I haven't talked to him since that night”.

“I just wanted to tell you that I reconsidered, and I will try to travel. To see if I can do anything for Brandi”.

“To the past? You will travel to Old Town?”

“I hope so. Time travel is a difficult science, though”.

“Will you do me a favor? Could you search for Jennifer Pleasant there?” asked Lucy, thinking about her mother.

“Sure. What for?”

“I just want to know about what happened. Any information you get will be valuable”.

\---

In Old Sunset Valley, Dirk Dreamer’s ex-girlfriend Tabitha planned a party in her condo. The Pleasant twins arrived early, and Lilith interrogated Tabitha about her relationship.

“I was just wondering why Dirk and you broke up?” she casually asked.

“Girl, you're kidding, right? Because he was mad crazy in love with you! I bet he still is.” replied Tabitha laughing.

“Still?”

“Well, he is coming to the party today with his girlfriend and Dustin. There's going to be a lot of hot tea.” Angela listened carefully.

“Dustin is coming? Today?”

“Yeah... This is gonna be a lot of fun!” said Tabitha with a smirk.

The guests started to arrive at Tabitha’s apartment.

“Shall we play never have I ever? Sip from your drink if you have done this” said the host. “Never have I ever... kissed Lilith Pleasant”.

Lilith laughed silently but Dirk sipped from his cup under the watchful eye of his girlfriend, Grace. But for everyone’s surprise, Dustin sipped too. Angela was obviously outraged and immediately rose from her seat. The atmosphere became tense.

“Tabitha!” said their friends.

“What? How was I to know that?” replied the girl, a bit amused and a bit serious about the situation. Dustin followed Angela into the backyard of the apartment.

“Angela don't get mad, this happened way after we broke up” he apologized once he reached her. And why was she mad? They had broken up about ten years ago.

“How could you?” she said, clearly in pain.

“It was in college, when you didn't want to know anything about me.” he replied.

“Yes, we broke up but that doesn't mean I didn't love you. You had been missing for months and I thought ...!”

“You thought it was my fault that my mother died. But it's okay, because I think so too” he interrupted her. Angela seemed surprised. The death of Brandi was something she hadn’t thought about much during the past fifteen years, and the fact that Dustin had disappeared for a long time after her death was still something that bothered her deeply. But how could he even think it was his fault? It was Gordon King's fault. Dustin was just around and was part of the criminal gang when the events occurred.

“Dustin... no. Don't you ever say that again. I don't” she replied softly, getting closer to him. They finally reached in a tender hug, and Dustin dropped some tears.

“It's okay, baby. Everything will be fine”.

\---

“I'm really sorry about all that. Tabitha is so annoying.” said Dirk to his girlfriend once the party had dissolved.

“Oh, I don't mind that, honey. I know she means no harm. Lilith was your girlfriend a long time ago. I was more surprised that Angela was upset about Dustin.” replied Grace with her accent.

“Yeah, I guess they have unfinished business.” Dirk commented thoughtfully.

“But you don't, do you?” said the girl.

“No. Of course not.” he said, but then he turned to see Lilith.

“Will your sister be alright?” asked one of Tabitha’s friends, Martha, to Lilith.

“Angela? Yeah, don't worry. She's just being dramatic.” replied the redhead.

“Oh, cool! I hope things don't get awkward.” said the other woman.

“No, why would they? We all know each other since college and before that.”

“Can I tell you a little secret, Li?” asked Martha.

“Yeah, sure.”

“When Tabitha said never have I ever kissed Lilith Pleasant, I kinda wish I could have drank too.” she whispered to her ear. Lilith smiled.

\---

Tabitha called her friend Livia Alto the next morning: “Hi, baby girl. So sad you couldn't come last night.”

“Oh, sorry, I was busy! I had a wonderful date!” said Livia.

“Really? So no more crying over Alexander Goth?”

“Not at all. He has his wife. And Don is... amazing.” replied Livia with a smile. “I'm starting to think that Alexander and I weren't meant to be. He is happy with Cecilia. And I can be happy with Don.” she manifested, while at the same time, in the Goth Mansion, Alexander was saying his goodbyes.

“All set, sir?” asked Lurch, the house’s robot butler.

“Please, be careful. You know how time traveling can be dangerous.” warned Cecilia.

“I'll be fine. Look after my wife and mother, Lurch.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Don't you dare to forget about me.” said Cecilia to Alexander when she hugged her.

“Never in a million lifetimes, dear.” replied her husband. And then he headed to the time machine.

“Old Town, Neighborhood 1 it is…” he said, popping the buttons in the machine.

Wrapped in a purple haze, and with a sudden lurch, Alexander fell over the floor. He heard a strangely familiar, female voice.

“Oops, are you okay there?” Alexander looked up. “Hello! I’m Kaylynn Langerak, welcome to Landgraab Time Central.” she said with a cheerful smile.

“The what?” asked Alexander.


	10. Detained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter starts here: sims-for-semi.tumblr.com/post/642934369548419072/chapter-10-detained-beginning-prev-next

“So, you've been time-travelling. I need your personal information, this is: name, place of origin and motive.” Kaylynn said, typing in her computer. “You're a Goth, aren't you? You look like a Goth.”

“Me? Well, kind of…” Alexander eluded her question. Was it actually safe for him to say anything about time travel? If they had the same machine that his father had, had they stolen it from him?

“How did you get access to a time machine?” asked Kaylynn, reading his thoughts.

“I used a scrapped old version of Mortimer’s. I see you have a similar machine here.” replied Alexander cautiously.

“Well, of course, Mortimer Goth worked here. Who are you to him?” asked Kaylynn again.

“A distant relative. Who's that in the picture?”

“Our founder, Malcolm Landgraab. Actually I can't let you go anywhere while he isn't here. He gives the permits.” 

“But I'm in a hurry to Old Town, I don't have much time.” Then he looked around. It was a kind of laboratory, but a really clean and simple one.“Have you experimented with the elixir on time travelers?” asked Alexander again, checking the Elixir on a big vase.

“I'm afraid that information is confidential.” answered Kaylynn. She was now beginning to worry.

“Can I tour the place? What year is this? I have traveled back in time before and have never been here.”

“It was founded in 2009. To avoid problems in space-time. I'll give you a tour.” she said, already regretting the idea. She took Alexander out of the lab room, and took him to a special vault downstairs. It had strange gizmos and delicate items.

“Here are some objects that time travelers have collected, and photos of some collaborators.” said Kaylynn. A picture of his good old friend Malcom was on top of them.

“I thought the Altos and the Landgraabs hated each other.” pointed out Alexander.

“Well, Holly Alto changed that. The Altos were great investors in the company.”

“Is that Don Lothario over there?” asked Goth. Kaylynn’s heart flipped a bit. She tried to babble something but Alexander kept talking.

“Funny, considering he's not a Riverview native.”

“Do you know him?” asked Kaylynn.

“I wonder who brought him back to Pleasantview…”

“Well I—” Kaylynn seemed really worried, and Alexander took advantage of the situation.

“But I could stay silent if you let me go now.”

“Will you do that for me?” she felt relieved.

“Look, I need to go to Old Town and I'll be back in about ten hours. I promise not to change anything.”

“Fine, but you have to tell me how Don is doing there. Did he find his son?”

\---

It was the most beautiful afternoon in Woodland Park. An autumn breeze caressed gently Don and Jesse’s faces, as they sat together in one of the benches.

“We’re not very good at talking, are we?” asked Jesse after ten minutes of silence.

“Maybe. We do look alike in many senses.”

“Do we? It’s hard for me to see it as so. It’s the very first time we get together.”

“I was so eager to meet you, son. Is it okay that I call you son?”

“Just Jesse for now, please.” said the boy in the deepest voice he found in himself.

“I wonder why your mom named you Jesse. I would have opted for something less white.”

“I guess she just wanted me to fit in.” replied the boy.

“And do you? Do you fit in?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty popular at school.” he said humbly.

“Do you have a lot of girls around you?” Don couldn’t resist to ask.

“Not many, but there’s one girl…” mentioned Jesse, thinking about his Diana. He didn't even know why he was mentioning her, he had just met this man.

“Really? What’s her name?”

“Diana Dreamer. Her family doesn’t like me.”

“Dreamer?”

“Yes, and his wife. A hag named Cassandra…”

“Cassandra?” Don had a wild flashback.

“Are you okay?” asked Jesse concerned.

“Be careful… with Cassandra.”

“Why?”

“It was because of her that I stayed away for so long.” He sighed. “Sorry. Sometimes I have flashbacks. Like a war veteran.”

“It looks like you had a bad time.” Jesse felt a strange compassion for him.

\---

“I think Don did meet his son, and he is, overall, fine.” mentioned Alexander to Kaylynn, back in the Time Central.

“Great! I'm glad. You can go now, but hurry.” said Kaylynn.

“I'll be back soon!” There was something strange about the whole Time Central. It was like a wildly specific laboratory, and that girl Kaylynn… he remembered her from somewhere, but it wasn’t possible, why did she look so young? Had she drank tons of Elixir?

 _Boss is gonna kill me_ , thought Kaylynn at the time Alexander was outside the central. Someone would have to take care of this mistake, and it would probably be herself.

\---

“Since we're here, can you do me a favor?” Jesse looked at his biological father to test him, but somehow comfortable around him. As if a part of his body was happy to finally meet him.

“Sure, son. Anything.” said Don. He was finally melting around him.

“Can you tell Nina and Daniel I'm not coming tonight? I'm going to visit Diana.” mentioned Jesse, slyly.

“Haha sure. Of course! You are just like your father.” Don laughed.

“Haha, yeah…”

\---

In 113 Wright Way, however, Diana Dreamer was studying with her dear friend Sebastian. Ever since Jesse had stopped going to school and wasn't answering her messages, Diana had found refuge in Seb. Rita didn’t agree.

“Your son is in the kitchen with Bella Goth's granddaughter.” she informed Dina swiftly.

“What? Do you think she wants to harm my baby?” said Dina, hysterical. What was his beloved and only son doing with Mortimer's granddaughter?

“I don't know, but I don't have a very good feeling about this. I'm going undercover to visit the Goth Mansion.” whispered Rita. But then they both stayed silent, because Sebastian decided to walk Diana to her house.

“Thanks for bringing me home Seb! I'll see you in class!” she said before reaching the stairs of the porch. It would sometimes be kind of lonely there. Her father, Darren, was always painting in the backyard, deep in his thoughts. And her mother, well… who could possibly understand Cassandra? 

It was late at night when she heard a noise in her balcony.

“Jesse? What are you doing here?” she said, looking at him. He had climbed with a ladder.

“I came to apologize. And to see my princess.” said Jesse, with characteristic, recovered charm.

“And you couldn't come in the morning?”

“That wouldn't be so romantic, would it?” he said, and then he wrapped her in a tight hug. “God, I missed you. And we have a lot to talk about so get dressed.”

“O-okay but I haven't forgiven you yet!” said Diana, lying to herself. While Jesse went back down the ladder, Diana dressed quickly.

“Where are we going, Mr. Caliente?” she said, already completely convinced that she was head over heels for him.

“Let's go for a wonderful ride on a steed, Miss Dreamer.” he said, pointing to his motorcycle that was already in the street. They both sneaked away.


	11. The Newbies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 11 starts here: sims-for-semi.tumblr.com/post/643265759732285440/chapter-11-the-newbies-beginning-prev

Sunny day in Old Town. Alexander walked around the only road, Sim Lane, and he stopped in a small brick house.  _ First stop, the Newbies _ , he thought, as he saw a middle age couple dancing in the kitchen. Alexander rang the bell.

“Hello,” said a pretty woman opening the door, with a lilac blouse and teal capris. “How can I help you?”

“Morning ma'am.” said Alexander. “I work for the municipal council and I am taking a census of the population, can I come in?” he said, already steeping a foot on the house. Betty seemed quite surprised, and she let him in. After telling him their names, Alexander started with the real questions.

“I was wondering if you have or plan to have children?”

“No, we don't have children. It's just the two of us.” said Betty.

“But you are both so young, do you really not want any children?”

“I'd love to, but it's not possible. My husband and I cannot have children. And we lack the funds to adopt or qualify for treatment.” she said. Her voice paused a little, but Alexander couldn’t notice.

“But surely having a child is a priority to you, right, Mr. Newbie?” he said, turning to Bob. “Couldn't you save a little for fertility treatment? Just imagine it, you, your wife and a little girl, say, call her Brandi. That would be great for everyone, you especially.”

Betty looked shocked. Neither of them talked, and Alexander understood that he had screwed up.

“I think we should speak in private, sir. Betty isn’t feeling quite alright.” said Bob, standing right beside her. He took him aside.

“What kind of municipal counselor are you? My wife and I have had a lot of trouble conceiving, it's a difficult matter to talk about.” Bob scolded him. “It shows that you are new here, be more careful next time.”

“Okay, sorry sir.” said Alexander quite embarrassed. “I'm leaving.”

\---

In the present day, Dirk Dreamer and Dustin Broke were chatting in Sunset Valley Police Department.

“Dude, you really don't have to do this. I can still cancel.” said Dirk.

“But I need to do this. I've been avoiding it for over ten years.” replied Dustin. He was feeling nervous as well.

“And I hope you're not doing this to prove something to Angela.”

“No. This has nothing to do with Angela. I'm doing it for Beau.” said Dustin.

“And whatever happened at the party was …” mentioned Dirk remembering the incident at Tabitha’s.

“We just hugged. And I think it was out of pity.”

“Well, she looked quite upset when you said you had kissed Lilith. You hit her where it hurt most.”

“Dude, stop it. We kissed once, both drunk at a party. And can we focus now?” Dustin interrupted him. He had ask Dirk for a chance to talk with Gordon King, who had been imprisoned since Brandi’s murder. After a few more minutes, a guard told Dirk that Gordon was in his way.

“They will bring him right away. And as a social worker and friend, please stay calm.” Dirk remembered Dustin.

“Right. Thanks Dirk.” said Dustin before entering the room.

A man in a bright orange jumpsuit was in front of him: “Well, well. Look who came to visit.” said Gordon with a smile.

“I don't plan on staying long, so I hope you're honest. It's the least you can do. Who ordered the murder?” asked Dustin, as he had been rehearsing what to say.

“Skippy,” Gordon sighed. “Things didn't have to turn out the way that they did. I never wanted to hurt your momma. It was old Bella who I pointed at.”

“I already know that.” Dustin raised his voice. “What I asked you …”

“Things come from above and you know that.” said Gordon. “I have a name, but I don't know who the final boss is.”

“Then give me his name. Now.” demanded the Broke boy.

“His? Oh no, not a  _ his _ , Skippy. Her name is Rita Morosini. A hottie, but she plays for the other team.” Dustin could remember Rita from when he saw her at Dina’s party. Gordon continued: “And before you go... I hope you can forgive me. I knew Skip longer than you did, and now Brandi too. They were good people, and I think…”

“How dare you to even say their names. I hope you rot in hell.” replied Dustin deeply. He left the room before Gordon could see him cry.

“Please never let me come back, even if I insist.” he told Dirk later.

“Count on it.” said Dirk.

\---

The night Lucy decided to visit Beau, there was a loud party at his dormitory. All his classmates were dancing around to the beat of a song, but Beau was nowhere to be found. After asking many drugged college kids, she ran into Camille.

“Hi Camille, have you seen Beau?” she shouted.

“If I have seen him? I'm tired of seeing him, actually.” said the blonde girl. “He's in his room. But I warn you, he has been drinking.”

“Alright. Thanks.” answered the girl. She went to the second floor of the dorm and knocked on his door. “Beau, open the door. It's me, Lucy.”

“Come in, it's open.” he said from inside. The room smelled like whiskey and cigarettes. Beau looked awful.

“Jeez, Beau! What's going on with you?”

“Oh, hi dear. Sorry you have to see me as the real me.”

“This is not the real you. Why are you doing this to your body?”

“Because who cares. I don't care.”

“Well, I care. Your brother cares. How much did you drink?”

“Not enough, apparently. I wanted to talk with mom and dad.”

“To talk with mom and dad? Beau—!” said Lucy agitated. Beau tried to get up but he got dizzy and his head hurt.

“Whoa, the room is spinning. I think I’m gonna pass out again.”

“Honey, you're freaking me out. Let me get you some water.” Lucy seemed worried.

“No, no. Please don't leave. Stay with me.” he begged. Later he and Lucy got into bed. Beau hugged Lucy in his bed as she caressed his hair. She could hear his strong heartbeat.

“I always have this same nightmare. I'm drowning, and I can hear dad's voice. He's yelling. Sometimes when I drink too much I feel like I'm drowning too. But the worst part of the nightmare is when mom shows up. She knows. She knows I'm drowning, but she can't help me.” he sighed. The effects of alcohol were wearing off. “I know Dustin loves me, but one day he’ll get married, he’ll have his own kids. You’ll graduate. And I’ll be left alone.”

“I'm never going to leave you, Beau.” whispered Lucy.

“You say that now. But you won't be 22 forever.”

“I know you are scared, and you have so much to heal. But you're wrong if you think I'm going to leave you here alone.” She was on the verge of tears. “Listen we're getting out of college, no matter how much it costs. And we’ll stick together, always.”

Beau smiled: “How did I get so lucky to have you?”

“Don't be silly, I love you.” said Lucy smiling through her tears.

“And I love you too.” said Beau before kissing her.


	12. The Pleasants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Start reading Chapter 12 here: https://sims-for-semi.tumblr.com/post/643478002532040704/chapter-12-the-pleasants-beginning-prev

“Old Town's best scorer prepares to shoot and score a goal and...!”

“Ha! Lame!” exclaimed Jennifer Pleasant once she easily caught the football soccer ball. Daniel seemed pissed off at her after his narration.

“Damn, Jenny, can you let me win for once?”

“If you wanna win, you gotta be better bro.” Young Jenny was very pleased with herself.

“Whoa! She is good!” thought Alexander Goth, who was stalking them behind a tree. Jennifer and Daniel looked like really nice children. Why had Lucy asked him to check on them?

“Alright, shoot it!” screamed Daniel to his sister, once it was his turn to be on the port.

“Kids! Breakfast time!” his father Jeff called them over. They both headed to their home.

“Morning, mom.” said Daniel. Diane was preparing toasts.

“Morning, sweaties.” said Diane. “I see that you've been playing outside even when I told you not to”. Daniel and Jennifer looked ashamed.

“I think it is good for the kids to exercise.” mentioned Jeff casually.

“Maybe you should be the one to exercise, if you want to get the promotion.” refuted Diane. “Besides, I don't mind Daniel doing it, but he always brings Jennifer with him.”

“I don't understand why it is a problem that Jennifer likes soccer. She's actually quite good at it.”

“We're not having this discussion again, Jeff. Jennifer should not play soccer. Ever again!” exclaimed Diane. Daniel ate silently but Jennifer was feeling really pressed.

“Maybe if you would listen!” argued Jeff.

“My daughter is not a butch!” yelled Diane. “End of discussion.”

Alexander, who had been listening from behind the window, seemed shocked. Inside the house, Jennifer tried not to cry while her father felt sorry for her.

\---

In the present day, adult Jennifer Burb was staring nostalgically through the window. Of course she remembered. Her mother was so obsessed with climbing the social ladder, and for what?

“Everything alright, dear?” asked her John Burb, shaking her from her thoughts.

“Yeah, I was just thinking.” she mumbled. Not like she was going to tell her happy-family husband about her tragic past. He would never understand, because their parents loved him deeply, so much that he ended up being just like them. Had her?

“Thank you for doing this, you spoil me.” said Jennifer once John had fetched her a piece of berry pie made by himself.

“Since we got married, I vowed to make you the happiest woman on the planet. I'm just keeping my word.” he said tenderly. The cake smelled delicious.

“Is Teddy still studying with his friend?” asked Jennifer.

“Yes, they're upstairs. Mary-Sue is gonna pass out when she finds out that the mayor's son is here.” mentioned John, remembering that his son had told him that his little friend’s name was Ben Schenider. Both kids came downstairs a few minutes later.

“Did you guys study hard?” asked Jennifer to her son.

“Yes. Ben is really good at math.” said Teddy, smiling at his friend.

“Oh well, we all have different talents. Yours is soccer.” pointed out his mother. Then she turned to Ben: “Do you play soccer too, Ben?”

“No, he doesn't.” answered Teddy embarrassed, before his friend could. “Jeez, mom, not everything is about soccer.”

“Dad prefers me focusing on school.” mentioned Ben politely. Later his parents came to pick him up.

“Do you think I'm a bad mother?” asked Jennifer sitting next to his husband on the couch.

“Of course not, baby. Come here.” said John, hugging her from behind.

“Well, clearly Lucy hates me, and she thinks I'm pushing too hard on Ted.”

“Lucy doesn't hate you, and Teddy is doing okay. Don't punish yourself that much.” said John trying to pacify her.

“Oh c'mon don't pull that crap on me.” Jennifer cut him off. “Lucy thinks I'm an evil witch, just as I thought about my own mother.”

“You weren't so close with Lucy when she grew up, maybe you being a working mother affected your relationship. But now you're working on your relationship with Teddy, and he will treasure that.” said John, unintentionally pouring oil into flames.

“Are you implying that I wasn't a part of the parenting of my daughter?” asked Jennifer, infuriated.

“That's definitely not what—”

“You know what? Okay! I'll go to the gym, you can do your parenting alone. You're probably better at it than I will ever be.” she exclaimed, standing up ready to storm out of the house. John watched her go.

\---

Jennifer felt the safest whenever she was at the gym. Especially at night, where no one could see her, judge her, make her feel small. However, when she was halfway through her bike routine, a familiar face showed up.

“Isn’t this my Jenny Bean” said Daniel’s pasty voice.

“Hello Daniel. Wasn’t expecting to see you here this late.” said Jennifer, standing up.

“I know you and I know that you only come here when you want to escape.” said Daniel with a smile.

“Yeah. It's one of those days when motherhood doesn't suit me.”

“It happens to all of us. You’re a great mom, Jenny.”

“Really? When did we become such lousy parents?”

“I try to be better with Jesse and Kathy than I was with the twins.”

“At least you got a second chance. Our parents ruined us equally.”

“Sometimes I feel like I ruined my twins too.”

“Oh come on, they are two functional adults. You can't ask for more than that.”

“Do you think dad felt this way too?”

“I don't know, Daniel. Our father dreamed a lot and mom was too demanding. We had it rough.”

“Well, better get going. I still have a little schoolboy to take care of.”

“Take care, sissy.” said Daniel, hugging her. Jennifer left the building and Daniel lurked around before reaching the locker room. There he saw a familiar back.

“What are you doing here?” he said harshly.

“Who, me?” asked Don, turning around.

“Who the fuck do you think you are, Lothario. We let you go out with our son and you don't even bring him back home”, barked Daniel, getting closer to him.

“Look, you might have raised him, but Jesse is my son, Daniel. And he’s fifteen, he’s not a child anymore.” explained Don.

“Jesse's been through a lot and it's your fault for leaving him and Nina.”

“How was I to know he was mine if she was screwing with you?”

“Be careful with how you talk about her!”

“Get your hands off me!” Daniel pushed roughly Don against the lockers. The sound of his shoulders clashed against the metallic door. For Daniel’s surprise, Don smiled.

“You’re so screwed” whispered Daniel. His face was way too close to his nose.

“You think you can intimidate me?” asked Don, still smirking. He was actually getting really turned on.

\---

“This is our final session!” told the tattoo artist to Lilith. “Be careful with the new tattoo.”

“Great! Thank you so much.” said the girl, smiling. She was in a tattoo shop downtown with her friend Martha.

“Wow. Never thought it'll look so big.” she said to herself once she looked in the mirror. She had gotten a colorful big tattoo on her arm.

“It looks pretty amazing, Li. Glad you do what you always dreamed of.” replied Martha. They both walked outside the shop.

“Thanks for coming with me today. I'll call a taxi home.” said Lilith.

“I had a great time! Stay safe.” replied her friend, giving her a hug. Lilith almost immediately regretted the decision, because it was getting really late and downtown was well known for having a lot of pickpockets at night.

“Boo! Need a ride home?” said a known voice behind her. She flinched.

“Holy crap, Dirk, you scared me.” she said with both anger and relief. Then she smiled at him, happy to have a known face near. “What are you doing here?”

“I had a late turn so I'm just leaving downtown.” said Dirk. “Wanna grab some burgers?”

“Sure! As long as you're paying.” she replied. They both walked to a near fast-food.

“That's a huge tattoo. Your mom's gonna kill you.” warned her Dirk looking at her arm.

“She  _ is _ . But I wanted it for so long, remember?” Said Lilith. Ever since she was a teenager she had dreamed of having her whole body tattooed. This was just a start.

“And Martha was with you? Is there something going on between you two?”

“No, nothing's going on. I don't know, it still feels weird. What about you and Gracie?”

“I was thinking that maybe I should break up with her.” replied Dirk softly.

“No! Why?” exclaimed the redhead.

“Because, Lilith. She is so good and deserves someone better.”

“That's a lame excuse, Dirk. And don't you think that I felt the same when I broke up with you?”

“What?”

“That you were too good for me.”

“You broke up with me because you had a crush on Dustin.”

“No. I mean, yes, also. But that was too long ago, I'm sorry…”

“Why do you think I still love you, Lili?”

“I uh … I don't understand how someone could ever…” tried to say Lilith.

“Life's too short.” said Dirk, and then he smiled. “My mom died when she was young, and I don't want to have any feeling of pride or regret. So if you wanna be happy, be happy, Lili, with whoever you want and don't let me stop you. That's how I know I love you.”

\---

At the same time, in the upper side of Old Sunset Valley, Cameron Greenshields was having a romantic dinner with Angela.

“I'm always happy to have you here in my house. It gets so lonely since my parents died.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, Cam.” said Angela, smiling.

“Angela, you're the greatest woman that has ever come to my life. And when we were in college you asked me a question that I wasn't ready to answer. We're only getting older now and that's why I need you to answer me…” he got on one knee “Will you marry me, Angela Pleasant?”

\---

“Hi, mom. I can't believe you're working so late.” said Lilith once she arrived home.

“Lilith? What a surprise you're talking to me.” replied Mary-Sue, that was working in front of her computer.

“Well, I just think we should talk more, you know?”

“Is that a tat—?”

“I wanted to tell you that I'm glad you divorced dad and married Elliot.”

“Why is that?”

“Because life's too short, mom. And I don't wanna keep fighting… Come over here.” said Lilith. “Mom, I never tell you how much I love you, and how important—” But she got interrupted by the door. Angela had just arrived.

“I'm getting married.” she said. She didn't look so happy. And neither were Lilith nor Mary-Sue.


	13. The Goths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 13 starts here: https://sims-for-semi.tumblr.com/post/644469960770568192/chapter-13-the-goths-beginning-prev-next

“Last stop… I can't believe I'm doing this.” thought Alexander, staring at 5 Sim Lane. A cold breeze whispered into his face. He wasn’t exactly sure of why he was there.

Inside, a young Bella Goth was washing the dishes. Her brother Michael entered through the back door.

“Hell-o, Belladonna. You never lock?” asked his brother.

“Why would I lock? No one ever comes.” she replied.

Michael: I came for the books that Mortimer was going to lend me.

“He's working at the Landgraabs. You know how bad they get.”

“I swear all he does is work. Aren’t you tired?”

“What can I do, Mike?”

“You both should stop drinking that nasty juice, Bella. How is it possible that I'm feeling younger than you?” asked Michael looking at the elixir vase.

“Mortimer worked hard on that elixir. Maybe they're not the results he expected but at least it's working.”

“Well, I have to go. Can you give me the books?”

“Yes, they must be here somewhere…” said Bella.

Alexander sneaked quickly through the stairs to the second floor. He stood quietly as he breathed heavily and he turned around, just to see the face of his older sister, Cassandra.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

Downstairs, they could hear Michael leaving, but Mortimer had just arrived. 

“Hey Bella, would you fetch me a cup of black coffee?”

“First of all, hello? And you need to stop working after hours.”

“Dear, I've been working like a dog the whole day, could you be a good wife for once?”

“I am a good wife. The best wife you could ever had.”

“I think I might need to stay a little”, whispered Alexander to Cassandra. She nodded. 

“I don't mind. But once they start fighting they can go on for hours.”

“Do they fight a lot?” asked Alexander, sitting on the floor.

“They argue, most times.”

“Do you… know who I am? You don't seem scared.”

“Maybe. You're one of the ghosts from the yard, aren't you?”

“Yes, I am. Could you keep me a secret?”

It was shortly after that Bella went upstairs and found Cassandra on her bed.

“Hello, sweetie. So soon ready to bed?”

“Yes, mommy. I'm sleepy.”

“Yeah, I guess we are all tired. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

_ How do I get out of here? _ thought Alexander, who was hidden under Cassandra’s bed.

\---

“Good morning, mother.” Diana Dreamer saluted the present-time Cassandra.

“Hello. Tired from last night?”

“And why would I be tired, Mom?”

“You think I didn't hear you? That I didn't see the ladder?” pointed out Cassandra. She tried with all her might to remain calm.

“So you know. You know I snuck out with Jesse.”

“Just as I feared. You are so grounded—”

“He told me. You are the reason why he never met his real father, Don. Is that what you want to talk about?” Cassandra burnt her omelette. And she didn’t answer.

“I figured.” Diana said triumphantly. “I'm going to shower, we can talk after school. If you still want to ground me, of course.”

Cassandra stormed out of the house to talk with her husband.

“Darren,” she said. “We need to talk now.”

“Right now?” said Darren, who was painting in his easel. “I’m missing a few tweaks.”

“No, it can't wait. It’s your daughter, Darren, OUR daughter. Do you even care at all?”

“Look, if it's about that Jesse kid, I've been thinking about it and I don't think it's that serious …” said Darren, looking at her.

“How can you even say that? You hated Don as much asI did. After all he did to me... to my mother!” exclaimed Cassandra. “And now he wants to turn my daughter against me! With his son! How was I to know that Nina was pregnant when I sent him away?”

“But darling, is that kid to blame? He's a teen just like our Diana…”

“Now she is  _ our  _ Diana? When was the last time you even talked to her?”

“I'm sorry I couldn't be the perfect husband and father you wanted me to be.” mumbled Darren with his head down.

“Oh don't you dare, don't you dare to pull that—” cried Cassandra. But then they both stopped. A suspicious fire started right behind them.

“Is that—”

“Fire?!” They both screamed.

“Cassandra, did you do that?!”

“I— uh! I don't know!” she mumbled in panic.

“I can't deal with fires, not since what happened to Darleen!”

“But I— I don't understand how!”

“I can't deal with it! Oh God, my heart!” faltered Darren.

“Darren!” screamed his wife.

\---

Dina’s girlfriend, Rita, rang the bell at the Goth Manor.

“Hello! Cecilia, isn't it? I'm your neighbor Rita. As you’re new in the valley I thought you could use a friend!” said with her most charming smile.

“Oh, hi! Thank you, and please come in.”

“So, where's your husband?” asked Rita once they were in the living room.

“Alexander? Uh, eh, he's not in town. He left for… work.” lied Cecilia.

“Work? Does he work?”

“Yes, he's working on a project.”

“And left you here all alone? In this gloomy mansion!”

“Well, I'm not entirely alone.” replied Cecilia. And then she turned to see the old woman in the red dress that was crossing the room: “Rita, this is my mother-in-law, Bella.”

Rita stared at Bella in silence.

“Hello, Mrs. Goth.”

“Hello” said Bella softly. “I remember you.”

“Yes, we met at Dina’s party—”

“How are your nephew and niece?”

“Who?”

“Johnny and Jill. I’m sure they miss their auntie.”

“Uh do you have any idea what she's talking about?” asked Cecilia, completely confused.

“I— I think I need to go now.”

\---

“What do you mean? That's not possible, makes no sense.” said Kaylynn Langerak on the phone. “Don't. Okay, I have to hang up. I'll call you later.”

“You have no idea how hard it was to get out of that house! The Goths, easy to get in, impossible to get out. I'm ready now.” said Alexander entering the lab. Kaylynn watched him go. “I'd forgotten how weird time travelling feels. Didn't I have a stubble before I came? I'll grow it back once you send me to Pleasant Valley.”

“I'm sorry, Alexander.” said Kaylynn sadly.

“What are you sorry for? It's not like it's your fault… Wait. I never told you my name was Alexander.” said the Goth suspiciously.

“As I said, I'm sorry,” repeated Kaylynn. A purple haze surrounded Alexander.

“Wait! Where are you sending me?” yelled Alexander in worry. But Kaylynn didn’t answer. As much as he tried to set free from the gleam, his body wouldn’t respond. The purple haze suddenly started to mist.

“What happened?” he asked himself. His body felt different. It looked different.

“No…” he mumbled. There was a mirror in front of him. But the reflection showed a ten-year old boy.

“NO!” he screamed. Kaylynn had sent him to Willow Creek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re reading the simfiction so far, pretty please take a look at this short survey?   
> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGQBLDb9rq3D7VJygi9mdDRQtpZGkg4WtmhN0Ts-AnNvTvDA/viewform


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